Chapter 87: Wits Against Oneself
Returning to the detached villa, Haruko immediately ducked into the study.
Although being roped into participating in the Chunin Exams by the Third Hokage was a bit annoying, getting his hands on the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu made all the difference.
Not to mention that this was the number one cheat in the Naruto world, for Haruko, this jutsu held an even greater significance—
'If I could create ten clones to do the work, couldn't the original body just lie at home, sunbathing and fishing all day?"
The room was very quiet. Kin and Tayuya were still at the Ninja Academy, and Kaede was at the Ramen Shop.
Perfect, no one to disturb him.
Haruko couldn't wait to open the scroll.
Although it was an A-rank jutsu, the principle of the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was not complex, and the actual learning difficulty was not much different from the B-rank Shadow Clone.
Relying on his Chakra control, which he had trained to the extreme, and the massive amount of Chakra this body possessed after being nourished by Natural Energy, he would be able to learn it quickly.
Only ten minutes later.
Haruko stood in the center of the courtyard, took a deep breath, and formed the classic 'cross seal' with his hands.
" Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
As the white smoke cleared, three identical Yun Yis appeared in the courtyard.
'Success."
Haruko nodded with satisfaction, eyeing the three clones.
The clones were also eyeing the original body.
The four of them stared at each other, the atmosphere becoming a bit eerie.
'Ahem..." Haruko cleared his throat. 'Well, you guys go help organize the scrolls we got from Danzo. I'm going to go lie down for a while."
Then, the air suddenly went silent.
The scene he had imagined, of the clones getting up to do the work, did not happen.
Clone No. 1 yawned and sat straight down on the steps: 'I refuse. Since I am your clone, you should know that I just want to lie down right now."
Clone No. 2 had already skillfully used Earth Release to create a rocking chair and lay down on it, rocking back and forth: 'Exactly, original body. Since we all inherited the same consciousness, why should we do the work while you enjoy yourself? That's just too unfair."
Clone No. 3 was even more direct and turned to walk into the house: 'I'm going to catch up on sleep. Learning that Ninjutsu just now cost me a lot of brain cells; I'm exhausted."
The smile on Haruko's (the original body) face froze.
'Hey! I am the original body! You are the clones! Isn't it only natural for clones to listen to the original?"
'Spare me that, " Clone No. 1 rolled his eyes. 'Although you are the original, at this very moment, my thoughts, memories, and personality are exactly the same as yours. Put yourself in my shoes; if you were the clone, would you do the work?"
Haruko was stunned.
If I were a clone... watching the original body lie there drinking tea while I worked my ass off...
'I'd probably go up and kick him..."
'Then that settles it."
Haruko's mouth twitched.
"...Fine."
Haruko dispelled the Shadow Clones, and they vanished into white smoke.
'Need to change my train of thought..."
After trying intimidation—pointless, since Shadow Clones aren't afraid of death; bribery—ineffective, since everyone just wants a free ride; reasoning—the other party is even better at sophistry than you are—and various other methods, Haruko finally recognized the reality in despair.
You cannot deceive yourself with things you don't believe in.
Want to have clones carry the burden for you? Keep dreaming.
'Come to think of it... even Naruto can't sleep while his clones do the work, right?"
Haruko sighed and formed the seals again.
'Alright, this time everyone works together. At least we can shorten the time, and we can all lie down after we're done."
The clones looked at each other and nodded.
'That's more like it."
'Should've just done that from the start."
'Let's go, let's go. Let's finish up so we can lie down sooner."
Thus, an extremely bizarre scene appeared in the room.
Four Yun Yis, grumbling while supervising each other as they worked.
'Hey No. 2, I just read that scroll."
'Huh? No. 3, why didn't you say so earlier?"
'Original body, how long have you been holding that document? Stop reading and start sorting!"
In an atmosphere filled with resentment, the originally tedious chores were indeed completed at an astonishing speed.
'Can't grind anymore... how about we all take a break..."
'We second that!"
'Fine! Then... Dispel!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
As the three puffs of smoke dissipated—
'Damn..."
Haruko felt as if his brain had been smashed by a heavy hammer, his body went limp, and he almost fell over.
Three times the fatigue, along with three sets of memories—short but filled with resentment and bickering—flooded into his mind in an instant.
It felt as though he had only worked for fifteen minutes, but mentally, he was as exhausted as if he had spent the whole afternoon arguing with three contrarians.
Time was indeed saved, but the fatigue was not reduced at all.
In fact, because it was a concentrated feedback, it felt even more tiring than working normally.
Haruko stumbled back to his room and collapsed onto the bed.
'No wonder many people know the Shadow Clone, but no one uses them for daily chores..."
He closed his eyes, wanting to rest—
'Were the clones from just now all me? If they were all me, then which one am I? Where is the difference between the original body and the clones?"
But strange thoughts began to pop into his head.
'Damn, what kind of nonsense am I thinking about..."
Haruko opened his eyes abruptly, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.
'It seems this cheat is not something just anyone can use. No wonder no one even uses Shadow Clones for training..."
Only someone with a thick-skinned personality like Naruto wouldn't even think about these things.
Having been bombarded by all sorts of information in his previous life, and being a transmigrator in this life, he was more sensitive to the'self' than the average person.
'It seems this technique can only be used as a trump card in battle, or as an emergency measure when a task must be completed in a short time."
Haruko let out a long sigh and completely abandoned the idea of using Shadow Clones to do his chores.
Using Shadow Clones long-term would inevitably lead to problems sooner or later.
'If I want a fully automated, lazy life, I'll have to find another way..."
He recalled the loot that was only halfway sorted.
'If only I had'Super Beast Imitating Drawing'..."
The things drawn can move, have no self-awareness, and will only follow orders to execute simple instructions.
If he drew a few little figures to wash dishes and sweep the floor, they certainly wouldn't talk back like Shadow Clones, nor would there be any Spiritual backlash.
'That's the perfect tool I'm looking for!"
Thinking of this, Haruko recovered a bit of his energy.
'When I'm rested, I'll continue going through those scrolls..."
I'll leave it to tomorrow's me.
It wasn't until evening that Haruko was woken up by a knock on the door.
'Big Brother Haruko? Are you okay? Big Sister Kaede said dinner is ready."
'Got it, I'll be right there."
In the dining room, Kaede, Kin, and Tayuya were already sitting at the table.
'What happened? You seem to be in a bad mood."
Kaede noticed his abnormality, and Tayuya and Kin also showed concerned expressions.
'It's nothing, I just had an argument with myself..."
Haruko briefly explained the matter of trying to use the Shadow Clone.
The three women looked at each other.
'Big Brother, if you have things to do, just call me; why do you have to do it yourself?"
'Big Brother Haruko, do you think I'm not doing a good job?"
'Darling, do you want me to give you a massage to relax tonight? I guarantee it'll make you feel comfortable."
Haruko picked up his bowl and shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth.
'The direction of their understanding seems a bit off..."
Sorting scrolls might be okay, but some things cannot be delegated to them.
Or rather, Haruko had already dumped most of his daily chores onto them.
However—
Haruko looked up at the three of them.
Tayuya looked serious, Kin was awkwardly staring at her bowl, and Kaede was smiling meaningfully.
'Alright, I'll call you if I need anything in the future."
Although they couldn't help with this, having the intention was enough.
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